


Tommy Knows: "The Undertaking"

by ThomE_Gemcity_06



Series: Eloquence of a Secret [21]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon-divergence, Angst, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s1e21 - “The Undertaking", Family Drama, Family Reunion, Friendship, Gen, Secrets, Tommy Knows!, casework, relationship drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 22:45:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11389977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThomE_Gemcity_06/pseuds/ThomE_Gemcity_06
Summary: Team Hood works to bring a missing family member home, and Tommy presses forward in his personal life, and his mission.





	Tommy Knows: "The Undertaking"

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Arrow, its episodes or its characters.   
> Tag: Season 1, Episode 21 - "The Undertaking"

**aRROW**

"Should I be jealous?" Tommy whispered in her ear, following her gaze upward where Oliver was doing a core-workout on the ceiling.

Felicity yelped in surprise, flailing in her computer chair; Tommy had to jump back otherwise be whacked in the face. "What? No!" she gripped the armrests with white-knuckles, panting; she puffed a loose strand of hair from her face. "What?" she fixed her glasses.

"I mean, you were pretty focused." He nodded his chin upward.

"If you took your shirt off I'll stare." She said. Her eyes widened as she realized what she said. "I mean--"

Tommy smirked and set the folder he was carrying down. "All you had to do was ask..." and he teasing dropped his hands to the hem of his t-shirt, slowly pulling it up from his shorts’ waistband.

Felicity’s gaze instantly dropped and she swallowed. "What are you doing? Not here!" she hissed at him. Tommy chuckled softly and her gaze darted up to meet his eyes and her cheeks flushed. "Unh..."

"No, I get it." He dropped his shirt and saw the flash of disappointment behind her glasses, and it encouraged him. "And I accept."

"I don't understand." She admitted.

"You have to let the wine breathe before you taste." Tommy brushed the loose strand of her hair back again. "Will you have dinner with me, Felicity?"

"Oh," she gasped softly, staring back up at him. "Yeah, okay. I mean, yes, Tommy. I would like that."

Tommy smiled. "It's a date then."

"Ahem." Oliver dropped down from the ceiling, grabbing a towel. "You're early."

"Yeah," Tommy finally looked from Felicity to his best-friend. "Dad left Merlyn Global early for a 'meeting', so I took advantage and did some snooping in through the business records that I've gained access to." He tapped the folder he had set on Felicity's desk. She opened it up.

"What is it?" Oliver asked.

"Sagittarius." Felicity read the header name. "It's the same company that The Dark Archer's shaft composite is patented to—his arrows—to the company."

"My dad's." Tommy nodded. "It's his version of Tempest. But I found out that the patent isn't the only activity on the name. Check out page three and go from there." Oliver leaned around Felicity's chair to get his own look as she flipped through the copied pages. "Unlike Tempest, that was created three-years ago for what we assume was _The Queen's Gambit_ salvage; Sagittarius was birthed months before five years ago and the first thing it started doing..."

"Buying up property in the Glades," Oliver straightened.

"And buying a lot of it, by the looks of this thickness." Felicity noted, and started to scan the pages onto her computer.

"It was a lot of pages," Tommy agreed. "I was scared I was going to get caught out at the photo copier. Surprise, I now know how to use a photo copier."

"Holy smokes!" Felicity gaped at the screen.

"What is it?" Oliver questioned.

"It's a lot of paper—and nearly the entirety of the 24 block-radius that makes up the Glades!"

Tommy took up her other side and looked at the screen with a property map of the Glades, most of which was red. "Are you telling me that the red is my dad?"

Felicity nodded. "The Dark Archer _owns_ the Glades." She shuddered. "He's been buying property up under the radar for years."

"And we're back to the Glades," Oliver uttered, running his hand through his sweat-damp hair. "Alright, what about these areas?" he pointed. "They're not in red, why? Something tells me The Dark Archer wouldn't be against a little pressure against holdouts."

"This is Verdant." Felicity pointed. "As we know, your father's shut down factory, it's still in his name, and now yours. This is Tommy's mother's clinic."

"Which dear old dad tried to get me to shut down, too." Tommy said. "But I'm never going to."

"And these few other pieces, let's see..." Felicity typed and looked over at Oliver in surprise at the results. "It looks like these other properties are in locked ownership in Robert Queen's name."

"My dad?" Oliver was just as surprised.

She nodded. "It looks like he purchased them just two weeks shy of his death."

Oliver stepped away, opening his Chinese crate.

"Oliver?" Tommy asked.

Oliver gripped the notebook. "Malcolm must have figured it out. Dad was trying to buy properties out from under him, and then the sudden sailing trip to China." He shook his head and turned to the pair. "It makes sick sense."

"I'm sorry, Oliver." Tommy whispered.

"What are you talking about, Tommy? You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Everything that's happened to you—it's because of _my_ father, Oliver!" Tommy cried in dismay. "Everything my dad's done, everything you suffered... how can you still be friends with me?"

"Hey, hey!" Oliver grasped his shoulder. "You're the one who told me that we are not our parents' mistakes. You are nothing like Malcolm Merlyn; you are kind and loving, funny, you're loyal." He taped his chest over his heart with the list. "Those are things that your father is not."

"I'm a killer, just like him." He whispered.

"You saved me, Tommy." Oliver countered. "That is not the act of a killer."

Tommy looked into the unchanging eyes of his best-friend. He inhaled deeply and nodded. "It's just hard, being around him every day, having to go home to him. My guard has to be up all the time, but it can't appear that way. The time I get to let my guard down is in the lair—which is ironic."

"Didn't you once tell me, and I quote: You starred in several productions during high school and got rave reviews?" Oliver reminded and Tommy gave him a snort.

"Subtle."

Oliver gave a one-shouldered shrug. "You got this, Tommy. And as soon as you're ready, you won't be getting a prop, but the real-thing. So you need to keep training."

"Didn't you see? I came prepared!" And he gave the two blonds a twirl.

"You have very nice legs, Tommy." Felicity laughed.

Tommy chuckled. "That's not the only nice thing about me," he gave her a wink.

"Alright." Oliver shook his head, even if he wore an amused look. "I'm going to go cross Harold Backman off the list. He's where the dirtiest and badest go to get their money laundered in the Caymans. And _you_ are going to slap water."

**A**

Diggle looked up from his fries with a sigh as Tommy slid into the booth across from him. "No, thanks. I already have company, Merlyn." And pointedly stabbed a frie into ketchup before eating it.

"What about a threesome?" Felicity slid onto the bend next to company. "That's not what I meant. For company. Platonic company, not sexual. You both know exactly what I mean."

"We do." Tommy stretched his arm across the back of the bench and behind the blond's shoulders. "Besides, I don't plan on sharing you." He whispered to her.

"Tommy!" she protested as Diggle watched them with a raised brow.

"Did Oliver send you to plead his case; he couldn't even come himself?" Diggle addressed the elephant.

Felicity cleared her throat and looked across at him. "Oliver doesn't know that we're here."

"What is this then?"

"We got a lead on Walter." Felicity informed him. "Oliver got a laptop from a money launderer and I traced a large deposit back to the date that Walter was taken. We got a name. I need you to come back and help us."

"Look, Felicity," Diggle sighed. "I'm happy that you've finally found a lead on Walter, that's why you joined in the first place—but I'm done."

"You can't just be done." Tommy scoffed. "Felicity joined because of Walter, but you joined because you wanted to help people. And you're just going to walk away?"

"Being a part of Team Hood isn't the only way to help people."

"Look, Oliver took your advice, he's started to train me to use a bow--"

"And that just suddenly makes up for it?"

"I know Oliver didn't help you find your bother's killer and that hurts and sucks." Felicity said. "Bu you gotta know if it was your life on the line and not just your very understandable vendetta, he would be there for you. No hesitation."

"And I don't want a partnership with those kind of qualifications, Felicity." Diggle stood, abandoning his fries. "I'm sorry."

"Diggle!" Tommy protested. "He needs you, even if he won't say it."

"This is your chance, Tommy." Diggle rapped the tabletop. "He really doesn't need me anymore."

Tommy slumped in the seat. "This isn't how it was supposed to go."

"But it has." And he left the pair.

"That went as well as expected." Tommy sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face.

"He'll come around." Felicity said. "They both will."

"I hope you're right." Tommy said. "It's going to be a busy night. You ready for this?"

"I grew up in Vegas," she told him. "I'm ready for this."

"I have to get back to the office and you have to get dolled up." He smiled, "But not before we get milkshakes!"

**RR**

"Hey, I came as soon as I got your text." Tommy said as arms enveloped his torso. "Hey, hey." He hushed as Felicity pressed her face into his shoulder, still wearing her dress from the casino job. "It's going to be alright." He wrapped his arms around her.

She shook her head. "Walter's dead. After all this time..." she sniffled into his shoulder. "He's dead, Tommy."

"Oliver?" Tommy called.

"Here." Oliver said quietly from where he sat on the floor, still in his green leather.

Tommy swallowed; the last time he'd seen Oliver anything like this, was when The Dark Archer put him in the hospital, the same night Walter had been taken. "Oliver, you're not going to like this."

"What is it?" he wondered listlessly.

"I think Walter is still alive."

"What?" Oliver head snapped up.

"But--" Felicity started, lifting her head from his shoulder and shaking her head.

"While the two of you were at the casino, Moira paid my dad a visit. I didn't hear much, just the tail-end. Dad was celebrating something," Tommy gave a shudder, "That's never a good thing. Something about a device, your dad and my mom. I didn't hear much before Laurel surprised me--"

"Laurel?" Oliver questioned.

"Not the point right now," Tommy waved his hand. "I believe Walter's still alive. And you're going to have to cause your mother a lot of pain before you can heal this wound."

**...**

"You were right." Oliver returned to the lair, pushing his Hood down. "As soon as I told her, she ran to Malcolm. He made a call right to whoever he has holding Walter before he showed my mom a video feed. Can you trace it, Felicity?"

"On it." Felicity quickly pulled the number and did a trace. "The call he made was to a tenement complex located in Blüdhaven."

"Christ!" Tommy said. "That's 8 blocks from here."

"Can you pull up a satellite view?" Oliver asked, joining them at the computer hub.

"Yeah." Felicity hacked the satellite and brought up a view. "That's a lot of security for low-income housing. This is definitely the place. There's two guards stationed at all access points."

"That bastard!" Tommy cussed with pain and hatred. "He needs to be taken down, now."

"We will, Tommy." Oliver promised. "But first... we're bring Walter home where he belongs."

"And how exactly are you going to get into this place, Oliver?" Felicity wondered.

Oliver peered at the screen for a moment, studying it. "There's no one on the roof."

"Sorry to be the one to tell you this," Tommy said across Felicity's head. "But you can't fly, buddy."

"I'm not the one that's going to be flying, just falling." 

"Excuse me?" Felicity looked up at him.

"I'm going to parachute onto the roof," Oliver informed them with a straight face.

"Wow. Okay." Tommy said because he wasn't sure what else he could say. "Better get going." He clapped the blond on the shoulder. "Bring Walter home."

Oliver nodded, grabbed his bow, and headed out. Tommy and Felicity shared a look.

"This is definitely a new one," Felicity said.

It was an anxious hour later that they watched as Oliver parachuted onto the roof through the cover of darkness and take out the first guard on the outside stair.

Tommy leaned forward, palms on the tabletop as he watched the feed from the satellite. "I knew I was right, I just really hoped that I wasn't. I shouldn't have expected anything from him." He hung his head.

"It's not your fault, Tommy." Felicity whispered, rubbing his shoulder.

He looked over at her with a sad smile. "You sure you still wanna have dinner with me?"

"Of course I do!" she exclaimed. "Honestly, I've been waiting for you to ask properly since the Christmas party."

"Really?"

"Don't act so surprised."

"I am." He said genuinely. Then teased, "A good girl like you?"

"I'll have you know, just a couple hours ago I was counting cards in a seedy underground casino. I'm a bad girl!" she paused. "That sounded more dirty than I meant it." Tommy just laughed lightly and shook his head. She gave him a genuine smile, "Your father isn't going to change that."

" _I've got eyes on Walter."_ Oliver's voice came over the comm.

Felicity instantly keyed back, "Is he okay?"

"You better put in an anonymous call to the police and emergency services," Oliver reported. He turned on his voice modulator, "Walter? Mr. Steele."

" _What's happening?"_ they heard the quite static of Walter's response over the comms. Felicity gave a chocked gasp of relief at the sound. " _Oliver?"_

"Oliver, did he just recognize you?" Tommy exclaimed.

Oliver didn't answer him. " _You're going home._ " The Hood said, and he disconnected comms.

"Oliver? Oliver? Shit!" Tommy cursed when there was no response. He paced anxiously. "Did Walter just recognize Oliver, Felicity?"

"It sounded like it."

"Shit!" Tommy shouted again.

**...**

"Well?" Tommy jumped to his feet as soon as Oliver returned. "Did Walter recognize you?"

"Yes." Oliver put away his bow and quiver, and started to strip out of his leather.

"And?" Tommy pressed when the man didn't seem inclined to continue. "Why aren't you more worried about this?"

"What do you want to say, Tommy?" Oliver asked in exasperation. "Walter recognized me. It wasn't part of the plan, but he did."

"How was he?" Felicity asked.

"He appeared better than expected." Oliver slipped on a long-sleeve. "He didn't ask much, I think he just wasn't up for it, not after what he went through. He was just happy to get out of there."

"You didn't even try to convince him that he was imagining things?" Tommy wondered, "You probably could have pulled it off."

"He'd been through enough. He deserved some truth. I told him that if he asked, I would tell him the truth. But he told me he was done with the book, and he hoped we would be careful." Oliver said.

"We?" Felicity asked. "What do you mean: we? You said 'we'." She pointed at him.

"Stop freaking-out, Felicity." He said calmly. "He knows you came to me with the notebook, he's glad you did, otherwise he would still be in that cell."

She breathed in relief. "I thought he might be upset."

"You helped him, Felicity." Tommy rubbed her back. "If you never went to Oliver, we never would have known of the connection—we never would have found him."

Oliver nodded. "He's at the hospital by now, mom will get a call soon, and we'll go to the hospital."

"Would I be able to go with you?" Felicity asked. "Or is that weird? That would be weird and awkward. I've only met your mother once and the last time I talked to Mr Steele--"

"Don't be ridiculous, Felicity." He told her. "Walter would love to see you."

**OW**

By the time the three of them made it to Starling General, there was already a group hug going on between Moira, Thea, and Walter in the bed.

"Is this a family thing or can anyone join?" Felicity blurted in awkward excitement from between Tommy and Oliver at the foot of the bed, holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Felicity," Walter gave her unaffected smile.

"It's so good to hear your voice, I've missed that smooth British lilt." Felicity gave a huge smile. "Um," she said at the stares. "That was a completely innocent compliment between boss and employee."

"Friend." Walter corrected her. "And I would love a hug."

"Really? Never mind," Felicity handed the flowers to Tommy and quickly took Thea's place. 

"He's home, Ollie." Thea hugged her brother, looking over back towards her step-father. "After the news you gave us today..."

"I'm just glad that it was wrong." Oliver said quietly, rubbing her back.

"Now Tommy just has to move back in," Thea looked over at the dark-haired young man. "And the family will be whole again."

Tommy gave a soft chuckle. "You sure know how to guilt 'em, Speedy."

"Does that mean in worked?"

"Sorry, kiddo." Tommy kissed her hair. Even as he wished he could.

"I'm so happy we finally found you." Felicity whispered before pulling back.

"Thank you, Felicity." Walter gave her hand a squeeze before she stepped back.

"I got you flowers," she took them from Tommy and handed them to Moira. "And this is my cue to go. I'm going to let you all get back to the hugging."

"Do you want me to drive you?" Tommy asked as he gave the blond a hug outside the door.

"I'm okay, I have my Mini." Felicity said, and left down the hall.

"So, do I get a hug, too?" Tommy asked as he stepped back into the room. "I'm the only one who hasn't gotten one yet, I feel left out."

"Always the attention seeker," Thea chuckled, sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed.

"Of course, Thomas."

Tommy grinned as he bent and gave the gowned man a hug. 

"It's good to have you home, Walter." Oliver said.

Walter gave him a nod. "It's good to be home, son."

"Now all you have to do is bring Diggle back," Tommy murmured aside to him; Oliver shot him a glower.

**...**

"Tommy," Malcolm greeted them when the pair stepped out of the room. "Oliver. What a miracle. How's Walter?" he asked. "The police say he was rescued by the vigilante."

"Yes." Oliver flickered his eyes towards Tommy before he nodded. "He was."

"Has he said anything about his ordeal?" he questioned with innocent interest. "Was he able to identify any of his captors?"

"No." Oliver said shortly.

"That's too bad," he murmured.

"They'll gets what coming to them." Oliver promised. "I'm just happy right now that my family is finally back together again."

"We all are." Malcolm gave a smile.

"Dad, can I get a ride home with you? I came with Oliver." Tommy interrupted.

"Of course," Malcolm said.

"Tommy--" Oliver started.

"There's Laurel," Tommy interrupted, nodding his head towards the end of the hall. "Pretty sure she's here for you." And he gave his best-friend a helpful shove towards the lawyer; it was bound to be an interesting encounter if the conversation they had when she had surprised him at Merlyn Global was anything to go by. "It's good that Walter's home," Tommy said on their ride down in the elevator.

"It is." Malcolm agreed.

The conversation took a rapid turn after they got into the car, the partition for the driver up. "I'm sure this is bad news for you," Tommy said.

"What’s that?" Malcolm wondered, looking over at him.

Tommy inhaled through his nose and looked back. "The Hood finding Walter, of course." He saw the minute tightening around his father's lips and eyes in reaction. "You had him kidnapped, after all."

Malcolm chuckled. "Why would you say something like that?"

"I overheard you and Moira," Tommy said plainly and his father stopped laughing.

"If you really did witness this conversation, why didn't you go straight to the police?" Malcolm didn't make any denials.

"The same reason I didn't when I found out you were The Dark Archer." Tommy reply evenly.

"Hm." Malcolm seemed amused by the name.

"You showed me the weird costume, but not anything of consequence." Tommy pushed forward. "You say you're doing this for me, but I don't even know what 'it' is. Dad, I want to do this with you, I want to us to be a family again."

Malcolm regarded him for a long moment. "I think it's time to bring you further into the fold, son." His fingers drummed the door rest. "We're doing it for you, us, your mother, after all."

_f_

**aRROW**

**Author's Note:**

> Every time I watch the scene of The Hood rescuing Walter, I can always so easily picture Walter looking up and saying: "Oliver?" and then the 'Oh, shit' expression that would cross Oliver's face, LOL. And now I've finally had my way, not exactly how I had in mind (everything, of course, being on Tommy perspective), but still. :)


End file.
